Today I’m killing two birds with one stone. I’m doing some sweeping of my notes and writing ahead (“pen time” is Monday morning) so that I’m free to watch Tuesday’s 1/6 Committee hearings.
The Real Goal
If you think with the overturning of Roe the radical right is about to shut up you haven’t really been paying attention. It was never about abortion; it’s about personhood.
We had an example of that in Texas recently when a pregnant woman was stopped driving alone in a HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane. On that highway the HOV lane requirement is a minimum of two people in the vehicle. When the law enforcement officer informed her of that she pointed to her abdomen and said the fetus (of course she didn’t use the scientifically correct term instead calling it her baby girl) was the second person.
The driver was still issued a ticket which she intends to fight in court. Texas’ laws are in conflict on personhood. How long do you think it will take for a case like this to reach the Supreme Court? Which way do you think the Fascist Five will rule? Can you imagine the other lawsuits this will set up?
Be Happy
Complain to a right winger about a poor compensation package or poor treatment at work and you’ll probably be told to be happy you have a job. When Donald Trump ruined the American economy with his incompetent handling of the pandemic millions of jobs were lost. With the 372,000 jobs added to the economy in June the Biden administration has now recover all of them. So, when you hear that Trump supporter complaining about how much it cost to put gas in his truck to get to work tell him to be happy to have a job. Trying to explain the economics behind the gas prices would be way above his comprehension level; after all he is still a Trumper.
End DWI/DUI Ticketing
Believe it or not there is a sizable minority that opposes the so-called red flag laws that are designed to help prevent mass shootings by keeping guns out of the hands of people who display dangerous behavior. Part of their argument is that the person in question hasn’t killed anyone yet so how do we justify taking their guns away or preventing them from buying firearms. (Personal note: these people strike me as the same kind of people who take the dead batteries out of their smoke detectors to stop them from beeping. Hey, there is no fire. Yet.)
By that “reasoning” why are we ticketing (and it’s both a serious and expensive legal ordeal) people for driving drunk before they actually kill someone? Exactly where to draw the line with DWI/DUI and red flag laws is a legitimate topic for discussion but not their existence.
A Goal For America
Ex pats and those who travel abroad a lot tell us they find it difficult to explain to non-Americans, but America has a gun culture. It has from the colonial days and I don’t see that disappearing anytime in the foreseeable future.
America also has a gun problem. We think we are among, if not, the safest country in the world but the statistics don’t confirm that. (We don’t even make the top 10.)
I don’t feel a gun culture and gun safety are mutually exclusive. Making that a reality should be a bipartisan goal. Legitimate compromise won’t make anyone 100% happy but it would make us all exponentially safer.
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